Automatic coupling.



Patented June 28, 1904.

YATENT OFFICE.

UNITED DTATES TRUMAN VVHITFORD LUKENS AND BURT HUGHES, OF HOOPESTON,

.ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC COUPLING.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N0. 763,771, dated June 28,1904.

Application filed April 6, 1904;.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, TRUMAN WHITFORD LUKENS and BURT HUGHES, citizens ofthe United States, and both residents of Hoopeston, in the county ofVermilion and State of Illinois, have invented a new and ImprovedAutomatic Coupler, of which the following is a full,-clear, and exactdescription.

This invention relates to automatic couplers, and more especially to anautomatic coupler primarily designed for use upon tractionengines tocouple them to threshing-machines or the like. The coupler forming thepresent invention may, however, be used to couple any other structuresof analogous character to those mentioned, although it is not adaptedfor use in coupling railway-ears..

The object of the invention is to provide an automatic coupler adaptedfor useunder the conditions mentioned which will hold with absolutesecurity, preventing accidental, uncoupling of the engine from its loadwhen on the road, and which may be quickly and easily uncoupled whendesired, the uncoupling of the coupler being eifective to set it inposition for automatic action when the coupling-bar is introducedthereinto.

A further object of the invention is to produce a device of thecharacter specified which while of simple and inexpensive constructionwill act with certainty and prove very durable in service.

In attaining the objects above mentioned and others of minor character,which will here.- inafter appear, we preferably make use of I the novelconstruction, combination, and arrangement of parts of an automaticcoupler hereinafter fully described, and particularly pointed out in theappended claims, it being understood that changes in the form andproportions of the elements described and in their .exact mode ofassemblage may be made without departure from the spirit of theinvention or sacrifice of its advantages.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part ofthis specification,

in which similar characters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the views.

Serial No. 201,835. (No model.)

portion of a traction-engine having the improvedcoupler attachedthereto. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the coupler alone. Fig. 3 is asectional view upon the section-line 3 3 of Fig. 2 looking in thedirection indicated, the coupler being set to receive the coupling-bar;and Fig. i is a section upon the plane of Fig. 3, showing the coupler inoperation.

engine to which the coupler is applied, and 1 indicates the shell orcasing of the coupler. This shell is transversely slotted at the front,as shown at 2, and presents upper and lower jaws 3 3, whose oppositefaces are beveled to form .a narrowing guide into the slot 2. The shellof the coupler is also vertically slotted throughout the greater portionof its length, as shown at 4, to provide space for the operation of theautomatic coupling devices.

The coupling member proper is designated 5 and is provided with aterminal lug 5, disposed at right angles to the body of the couplingmember, and an extension 5" beyond the pivot-bolt 6, upon which themember 5 is mounted for rocking movement. The extension 5 is notchedupon its upper surface, as shown, for engagement with a catch which willbe more particularly described hereinafter. Near the terminal lug 5 achain 7 or the like is attached to the coupling member 5 upon its uppersurface and is extended upward to connect with an eye provided upon theengine-frame. This chain or its equivalent desired to uncouple theengine from its load.

In order to hold the coupling member 5 in the position indicated in Fig.3 to permit the introduction of the coupling-bar into the space betweenthe jaws 3 3 of the shell or casing of the coupler, a catch 8,presenting a slightlycurved and beveled face 8 and a shoulder 8", ispivotally mounted upon a transverse bolt 9, extending through the shellor casing of the coupler at the rear of the coupling member 5. Thiscatch 8 is made automatic in action by means of a spring 10, attached atone end to the catch, as shown, and attached at its other Figure 1 is anelevational view of the rear Referring to the drawings, E designates theserves to raise the member 5 whenever it is end to the shell or casingof the coupler. The catch 8 is of such dimensions that when the shoulder8 thereof rests upon the extension 5" of the coupling member 5 theterminal lug 5 of the said coupling member is raised entirely out of thetransverse slot2 in the shell 4and is so constructed that one end of thetrigger projects upward into the transverse slot 2, while the other endis disposed behind the catch 8 and is suitably connected therewith. Thetrigger 11 is preferably of the pecular form shown, comprising ahorizontal or base portion 11* and vertical arms 11 and 11. The arm 11is of greater cross-section than the arm 11, because it projects acrossthe transverse slot 2 in position to receive the impact of thecoupling-bar when introduced into the slot. The arm 11 of the trigger isheld in proper position by lugs 12, which project laterally from thesaid arm and engage the the rear end of the draw-bar.

lower surface of the slot 2. The arm 11 of the trigger is supported byand also connected with the catch 8 by means of a link 13 engaging eyes14 and 15, mounted upon the trigger and the catch 8, respectively.

In order to eliminate shocks upon the coupler as much as possible whenthe engine is hauling a load, the coupler is preferably provided with acushioned draw-bar to take up such shocks by the elasticity of itscushion. In the form of the invention illustrated the shell or casing 1of the coupler has rigidly attached thereto at the rear a draw-bar 16,which extends through an opening 17 in the'end of a box 18, having aninternal chamber 18 of considerably larger cross-sectional area than theopening 17, through which the draw-barpasses. Within the chamber 18" ofthe box 18 a spring 19 is provided, which is, preferably coiled aroundthe draw-bar and secured thereon by means of a washer or collar 20 atThe expansion of the spring 19, acting against the washer or collar 20,keeps the coupler normally in the position shown in the several figures;but when the strain of the load is thrown upon the coupler the spring 12is compressed to a degree proportionate tothe magnitude of the strain.

The operation of the "coupler above de- Y scribed will be clearlyunderstood from an inspection of- Figs. 3 and 4. When the parts of thecoupler are in the position shown in Fig. 3, the trigger 11 lies in thetransverse slot 2 in the shell or casing of the coupler, and when thecoupling-bar 22 is introduced into the slot 2,as shown in Fig. 4, theend of the couplingbar will contact with the arm 11 of the trigger andforce the trigger rearwardly. The trigger slides in a rearwarddirection, being supported by the lugs 12 on the arm 11 and the link 13between the trigger and the catch 8. The rearward movement of thetrigger causes the catch 8 to swing rearward to the position shown inFig. 4, and this movement of the catch releases the rearward extension 5of the coupling member 5. As soon as the coupling member is releasedfrom engagement with the catch the weight of the portion of the couplingmember in front of the pivot-bolt 6 causes it to descend, and theterminal lug 5 enters the eye 23 in the coupling-bar 22, so coupling theengine with the thresher or other structure to which the coupling-bar isattached. As the movements of the coupling-bar in a vertical plane arelimited by the jaws presented at the forward end of the shell or casingof the coupler, such movements of the coupling-bar can have no effectupon the coupling member, and accidental disengagement of the couplingmem ber 5 with the coupling-bar is completely obviated. At the same timethe elasticity of a the spring 10, attached to the catch 8, draws thecatch forward into contact with the rearward extension 5 of the couplingmember, and this extension,resting against the inclined face 8" of thecatch 8, is held against vertical rocking movement by the friction ofcontact with the catch. As soon as it becomes necessary or desirable touncouple the engine and its load the uncoupling may be instantlyeffected by merely raising the coupling member 5 to the position shownin Fig. 3, this being readily effected by drawing upward upon the chain7.

From the foregoing-description of the construction of our improvedcoupler and its mode of operation it will be clearly seen that thedevice is entirely automatic in operation, that it contains no delicateparts which are not adapted to stand the strains to which they may besubjected, and when it is uncoupled the coupter is automatically set inposition for recouping.

Having thus described our invention, we claim as new and desire tosecureby Letters Patent- 1. The combination in a structure of the characterspecified, of a shell or casing having a transverse slot therein, acoupling member extending normally across said slot, a catch adapted toengage with said coupling member to hold it out of said slot, and atrigger connected with said catch and having a laterally-projecting lugarranged for sliding movementin said transverse slot.

2. The combination in a structure of the character specified, ofacoupling member held normally in operative position, a catch adapted toengage with said coupling member to hold it in inoperative position, anda sliding triggerconnected with said catchand having a portion thereofdisposed in the path of a coupling-bar entering the coupler. I

3. The combination in a structure of the character specified, of a shellor casing having a transverse slot therein, a coupling member pivotallymounted in said shell or casing above said slot and having arearwardextension beyond its pivot, said coupling member being normally held inoperative position, a pivoted catch mounted in said shell or casing andadapted to engage with the extension of said coupling member, and 'atrigger slidablymounted in said shell or casing and having :one armprojecting into said transverse slot and having another arm disposedbehind said catch and connected therewith.

4'. The combination in a structure of the characterspecified, of ashellor casing, a coup- U ling member mounted in said shell or casing andheld normally in operative position, a

spring-actuated catch adapted to'hold said couplingmember in inoperativeposition, a

trigger within said shell or casing'having an arm disposed in the pathof a coupling-bar entering the shell or casing, and a link con'nect-TRUMAN wnlrronn LUKENS. BURT- HUGHES.

Witnesses:

Sco'r'r INGLE, C. M. BRIGGS.

